Salvation Is Jesus

Acts 9 - Part a

In Acts Chapter 9 we meet up again with the story of Saul (aka the Apostle Paul).  We see in this chapter how Saul is converted by Jesus himself, becoming a devoted follower. When we were last told about Saul, he was standing by, giving his approval of the men who stoned the first Christian martyr, Stephen.  Now he still was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He had asked for permission from the high priest to go to Damascus in order to search out and arrest any Christians he found there.

On his way to Damascus, a great light surrounded Saul and Jesus spoke to him.

Verses 4-9:

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”"Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ”Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Meanwhile, a man in Damascus named Ananias was told by God to meet Saul. At first he is afraid to seek out Saul due to his reputation of persecution against Christians.

Verses 15-19:

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

God graciously and miraculously intervenes in the life of Saul, but we also see that the rest of Saul’s life was not going to be easy. The Lord explains that Saul is going to be used by God to carry his name to the Gentiles and Israel, and that in the process he would encounter much suffering. This suffering is not a punishment, but the results of persecution from those who do not want the message of Christ to spread.

We see again that sometimes loving people and trying to share the good news of Jesus Christ will be met with great opposition. If there were many paths to God, there would be no point in all the suffering for the Gospel. Yet Christians all over the world (in Saul’s day and today) are driven by the compassion of Christ to share God’s plan of salvation to the world, even in the face of persecution.